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UNIVERSITY  OF   MICHIGAN 
LIBRARY 


1905-1912 


A  BRIEF  REVIEW  BY  THE  LIBRARIAN 


ANN    ARBOR 

PRIVATELY     PRINTED 

OCTOBER.    1912 


EXOHANGB 


FOREWORD 

From  time  to  time  it  is  well  to  take  a  backward  glance 
over  the  road  we  have  travelled  so  that  we  can  get  a  proper 
perspective  of  the  things  we  have  left  behind.  Likewise,  in 
institutions  it  is  well  to  look  at  years*  in  the  aggregate  and 
see  what  they  have  brought  us.  In  our  own  Library,  the 
question  arises:  What  has  been  accomplished?  In  what 
respects  are  we  better  off  than  we  were?  What  have  we 
to  show  for  the  larger  book  funds  granted  us,  for  the  in- 
creased pay  roil,  for  the  increase  of  friends  who  have  shown 
an  interest  in  our  work? 

To  answer  somewhat  similar  questions  a  few  years  ago 
I  jotted  down  a  mere  outline  of  the  things  which  seemed  to 
stand  out  the  more  strongly  to  us,  as  having  been  worth 
while.  This  old  outline  I  now  take  up  again  and  extend  so 
as  to  include  the  later  years. 

More  books  have  been  added  to  the  University  Library 
during  the  seven  years  of  my  librarianship  than  in  the  first 
60  years  of  the  history  of  the  University.  Or,  to  put  it. 
another  way,  if  the  present  growth  of  the  Library  continues, 
it  will,  by  December  1914  be  double  in  size  what  it  was  when 
I  came  to  the  Library  in  1904.  This  increase  in  the  re- 
sources of  the  Library  and  the  task  of  making  our  books 
more  usable,  better  housed  and  better  cataloged  have  been 
my  chief  concern.  Much  that  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  do  was 
hoped  for  by  my  good  friend  and  predecessor,  Mr.  R.  C. 
Davis,  but  could  not  be  done  with  the  resources  at  his  com- 
mand. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Library  has  brought  with  it 
not  only  the  serious  problem  of  finding  shelf- room  for  the 
new  books,  but  it  has  entailed  increased  expenditure  all 
along  the  line.  It  costs  more  to  put  a  book  into  a  large 
library  than  in  a  small  one,  because  more  and  higher  grade 
labor  is  required  to  find  whether  the  book  is  not  already  in 
or  ordered  for  the  library.  It  costs  more  to  classify  a  book 
in  a  large  library  than  in  a  small  one ;  more  time  and  more 

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skill  are  required  to  correctly  place  a  new  book  in  a  collec- 
tion where  there  are  many  books  in  the  same  field  than 
where  there  is  but  a  mere  handful  of  books  on  the  subject. 
The  classifier  must  know  something  of  the  contents  of  many 
books,  the  relation  and  correlation  of  many  subjects.  It 
costs  more  to  catalog  a  book  in  a  large  library  than  it  does 
in  a  small  one.  More  highly  skilled  catalogers  are  required 
to  make  the  cards,  because  the  latter  must  contain  more 
detailed  information,  fuller  imprint  and  collation,  more  exact 
subject  headings,  in  Qrder  to  differentiate  treatises  and  dif- 
ferent editions.  It  costs  more  to  put  a  bock  on  the  shelf  of 
a  large  library  than  of  a  small  one.  The  labelling  is  a  more 
serious  matter,  the  danger  of  displacement  (which  means 
loss  for  the  time  being)  is  greater,  the  necessity  for  shifting 
books  becomes  more  frequent,  and  the  cost  of  maintenance 
per  volume  increases  with  the  size  of  the  collection.  It  costs 
more  to  bring  the  book  to  the  reader  in  a  large  library  than 
it  does  in  a  small  one,  more  for  pages  and  more  for  desk 
attendants.  Not  only  is  the  distance  which  the  page  must 
go  for  the  book  greater,  but  it  takes  him  longer  to  find  the 
volume.  It  costs  more  to  keep  the  books  of  a  large  library 
in  repair  than  it  does  in  a  small  library,  because  the  large 
library  is  more  apt  to  have  a  great  many  old  books,  the  backs 
of  which  are  falling  off,  the  leather  decaying  and  needing 
replacing.  Rare  books  which  are  to  be  kept  under  lock  and 
key,  folio  volumes  which  need  special  shelving,  newspaper 
collections,  bound  or  unbound,  all  these  demand  special  at- 
tention and  make  extra  claims  on  the  staff  and  so  increase 
the  cost  of  maintenance. 

The  constant  increase  in  the  number  of  students  and 
teaching  force  means  a  constantly  increasing  demand  on  the 
staff,  not  always  to  be  shown  in  the  statistical  tables  of  the 
use  made  of  the  Library. 

May  the  larger  book  funds  needed  be  forthcoming  as 
our  Library  increases  in  size,  so  that  its  usefulness  may  grow 
in  proportion  !  T.  W.  K. 


BUILDING  AND   EQUIPMENT 

Probably  the  changes  in  the  Library  which  would  most 
forcibly  strike  an  old  student  revisiting  the  place  are  those 
physical  ones  evident  upon  entering  the  building.  Let  us 
review  those  first. 

In  the  Christmas  recess  of  1904-05  bookshelves  were 
built  against  the  walls  of  the  apse  of  the  Reading  Room  and 
a  reference  collection  of  some  8,000  volumes  installed  there. 
This  provided  free  access  for  reference  books  for  which  the 
students  were  formerly  compelled  to  call  at  the  delivery 
desk.  Later  the  Reading  Room  was  beautified  by  the  addi- 
tion of  bas-reliefs  and  busts  (largely  the  gift  of  the  late 
Regent  Peter  White)  and  still  later  by  the  addition  of  stained 
glass  windows  (the  gift  of  the  Librarian).  Oil  portraits  of 
noted  men  and  women  were  hung  over  the  new  book  cases 
and  lent  an  added  air  of  distinction  to  the  room. 

A  rack  for  new  books  was  located  in  the  Reading  Room. 
Hitherto  it  was  impossible  to  see  the  new  books  as  they 
came  into  the  library  unless  one  went  into  the  office  (just 
where  we  did  not  want  the  straggling  reader).  A  new  dic- 
tionary case  and  two  atlas  cases  were  added  to  the  Reading 
Room  equipment. 

An  exhibit  case,  lighted  by  electricity,  has  been  placed 
in  the  east  corridor,  in  which  exhibits  are  held  throughout 
the  year. 

The  Periodical  Room  (one  half  of  which  had  been  used 
as  a  sort  of  store-room)  was  cleaned  out,  renovated  and 
opened  to  the  students.  A  special  assistant  was  put  in 
charge  and  an  up-to-date  system  of  recording  periodicals 
and  checking  the  failure  to  receive  any  number  was  installed. 
Xewspaper  racks  were  secured  and  papers  solicited  from  the 
publishers.  The  makeshift  tables  and  chairs  with  which  the 
room  was  first  fitted  gave  way  to  more  dignified  furniture 
in  1912. 

In  191 1  the  current  newspapers  and  popular  periodicals 
were   transferred   to  a   new   reading   room   in   the   Alumni 

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Memorial  Hall.  The  medical  periodicals  were  transferred  to 
a  new  medical  reading  room  on  the  upper  floor  in  191 1. 

The  old  seminary  rooms  were  renovated  in  1906  and  a 
new  session  room  provided.  These  rooms  were  all  fitted 
with  cork  carpet. 

The  catalog  room  on  the  first  floor  was  in  part  renovated 
and  the  old  tables  replaced  by  desks  with  drawers,  requiring 
less  floor  space  and  adding  to  the  efficiency  of  the  work. 

Additional  space  was  secured  by  erecting  a  screen  in  the 
west  end  of  the  Reading  Room.  On  the  opening  of  the 
Upper  Reading  Room  in  191 1,  the  old  seminary  rooms  were 
abolished  and  the  work  transferred  to  the  new  Upper  Read- 
ing Room.  The  East  Seminary  became  a  Faculty  Reading 
Room,*  and  the  West  Seminary  was  equipped  for  cataloging 
and  secretarial  work.     A  multigraph  is  installed  here. 

The  old.  office  of  the  Librarian  on  the  first  floor  was 
turned  over  to  the  assistants  in  the  order  division,  formerly 
crowded  into  the  catalog  room,  and  a  new  office  secured  on 
the  mezzanine  floor.  The  use  of  vertical  files  for  keeping 
the  library  records  and  copies  of  correspondence  was  be- 
gun, and  all  office  work  systematized  and  put  on  a  thoroughly 
modern  basis. 

Map  rollers  and  mounted  maps  have  been  placed  in  the 
upper  hallways  and  "round  table  room." 

Lockers  for  assistants  have  been  placed  in  the  corridors 
and  in  the  stacks. 

The  old  "whispering  gallery''  has  been  converted  into  a 
book  stack. 

The  printing  plant  has  been  separated  from  the  basement 
bindery  and  transferred  to  another  building,  thus  giving 
more  room  for  the  bindery  and  making  the  periodical  room 
overhead. less  noisy. 

The  electric  wiring  has  been  changed  throughout  the 
building  with  the  exception  of  the  downstairs  offices.  Tungs- 
ten lamps  have  been  installed  in  most  parts.  The  old  wir- 
ing in  the  stack  had  been  strung  on  strips  of  wooden  molding, 
some  pieces  of  which  showed  charring  to  the  depth  of  one 
half  inch.  That  the  library  was  not  destroyed  by  fire  should 
be  listed  among  the  wonders  of  the  past  decade.  The  new 
wiring  in  the  stacks  is  strung  through  pipes. 


*  A  lucus  non  lucendo  term. 

6 


The  entire  building,  with  the  exception  of  the  down- 
stairs offices,  has  been  repainted  inside  and  out,  not  even 
neglecting  the  clock  in  the  tower.  The  ceiling  in  the  main 
reading  room  had  not  been  touched  in  28  years,  and  the 
outside  woodwork  of  the  older  part  of  the  building  was 
sadly  in  need  of  attention. 


THE  BOOK-STACKS 

Half  a  dozen  specimens  of  various  makes  of  stacks,  6 
and  9  feet  in  length,  were  secured  to  aid  in  the  study  of  the 
problem  of  additional  shelf  room.  Twelve  flf-teten  foot 
double-faced  ranges  of  Art  Metal  Construction  Co.,  were 
bought  to  give  some  temporary  relief  in  1907-08,  when  they 
were  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  south  room  of  the  Art 
Gallery  and  accommodated  about  20,000  volumes. 

When  in  1910  the  art  collections  were  moved  to  the  new 
Alumni  Memorial  Hall  and  the  upper  part  of  the  building 
was  turned  over  to  the  Library,  it  was  decided  to  continue 
the  stack  upwards  by  the  addition  of  two  tiers.  The  Snead 
pattern  was  considered  the  most  desirable  because  of  its 
adaptability  to  the  structural  needs  of  the  old  building,  in 
permitting  the  two  Moors  in  the  north  stack  to  be  hung 
from  a  reinforced  ceiling  and  the  two  floors  in  the  south 
stack  to  rest  on  the  understructure.  The  Snead  stack,  as 
an  outgrowth  of  the  old  Harvard  stack  on  the  first  three 
floors,  wras  the  logical  pattern  wr,ith  which  to  equip  the  new 
upper  floors.  These  new  stacks  provided  accommodations 
for  120,000  volumes.  Their  installation,  which  necessitated 
cutting  windows  through  the  walls  of  the  Art  Gallery, 
formerly  blank,  took  up  the  major  part  of  the  academic  year 
1910-11,  during  which  time  the  Library  was  open  every  day 
as  usual.  Four  more  months  were  needed  for  the  painting 
and -enameling  of  the  stacks,  a  work  which  required  con- 
stant cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  library  staff  to  move 
books  for  the  workmen. 

Deep  grooves  were  being  worn  down  the  main  aisles  of 
the  sandstone  floors  of  the  older  part  of  the  stack.  The 
parts  worn  away  settled  as  a  thin  coat  of  gritty  dust  over 
the  becks  on  the  shelves.     In  order  to  put  a  stop  to  this 

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the  stone  was  covered  with  two  coats  of  gray  cement  paint 
(easily  mopped  up,  while  the  stone  was  so  absorbent  that  a 
mop  could  not  be  used).  This  has  arrested  the  wear  and 
tear  on  the  stone  itself  and  has  given  us  a  much  cleaner 
stack.  By  painting  the  underside  of  these  stone  slabs  white 
we  gained  a  reflecting  power  almost  equal  to  that  of  the 
white  marble  used  on  the  fifth  floor. 

All  of  the  250,000  volumes  in  the  stack  had  to  be  moved 
twice  during  the  remodeling  and  many  of  the  sections  were 
moved  four  and  five  times  in  order  to  secure  the  proper 
adjustment  of  particular  books  to  the  shelves.  Before  the 
remodeling  the  various  collections  ran  down  either  side  of 
the  aisle.  This  was  justifiable  when  one  subject  like  medi- 
cine or  literature  just  about  filled  one  side  of  one  floor  in 
the  old  north  stack,  but  when  the  collections  in  these  fields 
had  so  expanded  as  to  fill  one  entire  floor  of  the  north  stack 
(as  medicine  did)  or  the  ground  floor  of  both  north  and 
south  stack  (as  literature  does)  then  the  more  logical  ar- 
rangement was  to  have  books  run  straight  across  the  room, 
disregarding  the  aisle.  This  arrangement  makes  a  large 
collection  more  compact  and  saves  many  steps  both  on  the 
part  of  the  attendants  and  users  of  the  Library.  This  was 
the  reason  for  a  redistribution  of  the  collections  on  the  var- 
ious subjects,  based  not  only  on  the  relative  demand  but  also 
on  the  relative  size  of  the  classes  of  books.  The  work  of 
redistributing  was  spread  over  the  best  part  of  a  year  and 
was  the  more  complicated  by  the  fact  that  this  occasion  was 
taken  to  enamel  the  old  stacks  with  ripolin  in  order  to 
freshen  them  up  and  make  them  harmonize  with  the  new 
Snead  stacks  on  the  fourth  and  fifth  floors.  All  shelves  had 
to  be  emptied  before  the  standards  could  be  enameled. 
Sometimes  the  shelves  were  emptied  before  and  at  other 
times  after  the  redistributing  had  been  done.  Keeping  just 
ahead  of  the  painters,  protecting  the  books  from  damage, 
and  making  fairly  sure  of  the  approximate  amount  of  shelv- 
ing required  for  a  particular  class  resembled  somewhat  a 
complicated  form  of  the  game  of  checkers.  The  various 
moves,  were,  however,  accomplished  without  putting  any 
class  out  of  commission  or  disturbing  the  work  of  the  Read- 
ing Room  for  a  single  day.  No  extra  appropriation  was 
made  for  this  work,  which  aggregated  handling  over  half  a 

8 


million  volumes  (that  is  250,000  volumes  handled  at  least 
twice)  and1  it  was  all  done  by  the  stack  clerk  and  student 
assistants  in  the  Library,  without  the  help  from  the  campus 
janitor  force  which  in  the  former  large  moves  of  the  Library 
had  been  available. 

That  the  relief  came  none  too  soon  could  be  seen  from  a 
glance  at  the  side  aisles,  where  over  10,000  volumes  were 
piled  up.  Sixty-seven  temporary  wooden  cases  had  been 
pressed  into  service  to  relieve  the  regular  shelves  of  their 
congestion. 

Labels  have  recently  been  provided  for  the  shelves  in 
the  book-stacks  and  a  card  at  the  end  of  each  range,  dis- 
tinctly lettered,  tells  what  section  of  books  is  contained  in  it. 
Numerous  copies  of  a  directory  of  the  stack  are  scattered 
throughout  the  various  floors. 


WORK  WITH  THE  PUBLIC 

In  December  1904  a  reference  library  of  8,000  volumes 
was  cataloged  in  duplicate  and  placed  in  the  main  reading 
room.  Early  in  191 1,  12,000  volumes  were  selected  from 
the  general  stock  and  from  the  seminary  collections  and  were 
shelved  in  the  alcoves  lining  the  upper  reading  room,  just 
opened.  From  the  time  just  before  the  remodeling  until 
today,  the  12,000  volumes  have  all  had  to  be  moved  five 
times. 

The  position  of  charging  clerk  was  established  in  1904 
whereby  the  old  method  of  "every  professor  his  own  charg- 
ing clerk"  was  abolished.  By  this  means  a  check  on  care- 
lessness was  secured  and  a  business-like  method  of  account- 
ing adopted.  To  help  in  this  a  Library  Bureau  charging 
desk  was  installed  in  the  east  end  of  the  old  delivery  desk. 

This  made  possible  the  re-establishment  of  student  cir- 
culation after  a  lapse  of  fifty  years,  during  which  time  the 
L^niversity  Library  neglected  one  of  its^  greatest  educational 
opportunities.  We  now  have  over  2500  students  as  regis- 
tered borrowers,  nearly  half. of  the  entire  student  body.  No 
single  course,  no  other  department  of  the  L^niversity  reaches 
anything  like  this  number  of  students. 

The  Red  Star  case  of  popular  literaure,  a  constantly 
changing  collection,   was   established.     From   this   the   stu- 

9 


dents  borrow  about  1200  volumes  per  month.  The  Cap  and 
Gown  collection  of  books  was  arranged  for  permanent  shelv- 
ing in  the  Reading  Room.  This  consists  of  books  addressed 
primarily  to  young  men  and  women  and  of  books  about 
college  life. 

A  university  graduate  with  library  school  training  was 
secured  as  assistant  reference  librarian  to  take  charge  of  the 
desk  so  as  to  give  more  reliable  information  and  to  insure 
better  desk  service.  The  aim  has  been  to  avoid  the  repeti- 
tion of  the  incident  narrated  below,  but  to  do  this  it  has  been 
necessary  to  employ  more  and  better  trained  assistants. 

"I  well  remember  my  first  encounter  with  a  card  catalog,'' 
said  William  Warner  Bishop,  Superintendent  of  the  Library 
of  Congress  Reading  Room,  in  a  paper  read  at  the  Minne- 
tonka  conference  of  the  American  Library  Association.  "It 
was  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  too  long  ago  for  me 
to  count  the  years  with  comfort,  and  too  few  with  pride.  I 
had  haunted  the  Detroit  Public  Library  for  years,  and  knew 
every  nook  and  corner  of  it — but  I  had  never  seen,  much 
less  used,  a  card  catalog.  I  went  into  the  University 
Library  in  the  evening  to  pass  a  couple  of  hours. 
I  wanted  a  book — any  book — and  I  was  coldly  referred 
to  a  case  of  double-tray  drawers  where  little  cards 
were  arranged — by  authors.  I  remember  to  this  day 
turning  those  cards.  Being  a  methodical  soul,  even 
then,  I  had  begun  with  A,  and  Aristotle  was  the  first 
author  I  happened  on.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  turned 
away  from  that  oak  case  in  which  the  first  card  written  west 
of  Cambridge  was  even  then  said  to  repose,  and  went  out 
of  that  library  utterly  discouraged?  There  were  no  open 
shelves  then,  save  for  a  few  dictionaries,  etc.,  and  no  refer- 
ence librarian  and  the  "student  assistant"  on  duty  that  night 
saw  in  me  only  a  freshman  who  wanted. to  idle  away  time. 
I 'submit  there  was  room  for  assistance  in  this  case.  The 
book-worm  in  me  couldn't  be  downed  even  by  Aristotle,  and 
yet  I  remember  many  a  time  after  that,  when  I  had  become 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  use  of  the  catalog,  turning  over 
the  author  cards  at  random  to  find  something  to  read  when  I 
was  tired  or  had  an  hour  to  spare.  A  selection  of  good 
literature  on  open  shelves  is  an  assistance  to  readers  at  a 
formative  period  which  no  university  or  college  library  can 

10 


afford  to  forego.  The  more  books  the  student  can  see  and 
handle  the  better.  They  are  worth  more  than  catalogs, 
bibliographies,  yes — and  the  reference  librarian."  This  from 
a  reference  librarian  of  national  prominence! 

The  educational  value  of  free  access  to  books  cannot  be 
-overstated.  Numerous  illustrations  could  be  given  of  the 
influence  that  the  more  liberal  policy  of  recent  years  has  had 
on  our  undergraduates  in  the  Literary  Department,  but  pos- 
sibly the  following  extract  from  a  letter  by  a  prominent  ed- 
ucator will  serve,  as  one  concrete  illustration  of  what  the 
Library  did  for  one  average  student.  He  is  writing  about 
one  of  several  sons  whom  he  had  sent  to  the  University  of 
Michigan.  "This  young  man  had  no  great  intellectual  am- 
bition, but  had  gone  to  the  University  largely,  I  think,  be- 
cause I  wished  him  to  go.  His  work  in  his  studies  was  of 
passing  grade,  but  I  could  discover  no  development  of 
genuine  enthusiasm.  I  doubt  whether  (and  the  fault  is  en- 
tirely his)  the  regular  studies  in  the  University  were  pursued 
far  enough  to  make  a  very  great  impression  upon  this  young 
man's  intellectual  character.  On  the  other  hand,  the  reading 
that  he  carried  on,  largely  suggested  by  the  books  that  were 
prominently  displayed  or  invitingly  cataloged  in  the  library, 
has  given  him  a  broader  outlook  upon  life  and  a  genuine 
sympathy  with  what  is  fine  in  contemporary  literature.  I 
feel  amply  repaid  for  the  two  years  that  the  boy  spent  there, 
not  by  his  acquisitions  in  his  regular  studies  but  by  what  he 
got  of  intellectual  sharpening  through  his  contact  with  tbs 
intellectual  life  of  this  and  other  nations.  The  instrument- 
ality was  largely  the  University  Library.  I  sincerely  hope 
that  the  library  of  the  University  of  Michigan  will  never 
narrow  down  to  a  mere  set  of  laboratories  for  the  different 
departments,  but  that  it  will  be  increasingly  a  sort  of  clearing 
house  for  all  kinds  of  literary  curiosity.  As  long  as  the 
University  Library  shows  a  catholic  interest  in  the  spiritual 
yearning  of  the  young  man,  and  seeks  to  afford  all  kinds  of 
proper  food  for  all  kinds  of  proper  intellectual  appetite,  so 
long  will  the  L^niversity  be  the  centre  of  enlightenment  and 
culture  as  well  as  the  seat  of  professional  training  for  the 
commonwealth.  All  success  to  you  in  your  splendid  efforts 
to  make  a  library  truly  great  upon  a  generous  plan  for  our 
cherished  State  I7niver?itv." 


LIBRARY  CATALOGS 

In  1904  the  University  received  the  Library  of  Congress 
depository  card  catalog.  There  are  only  forty-three  of  these 
sets  in  existence.  The  large  collection  of  cards,  nearly  one- 
half  million  in  number,  had  to  be  alphabeted  and  made  ac- 
cessible to  the  public.  During  this  same  year  a  set  of  65,000 
John  Crerar  Library  cards  was  added  to  the  above.  The 
annual  additions  average  about  5,000  cards  from  the  John 
Crerar  Library  and  at  least  40,000  Library  of  Congress  cards. 
The  University  Library  has  recently  added  to  this  union 
catalog  the  cards  issued  by  the  Royal  Library  of  Berlin, 
numbering  about  65,000.  The  annual  additions  average 
over  15,000.  A  recent  addition  to  this  catalog  is  the  series 
printed  by  Harvard  University  Library  and  numbering  al- 
ready nearly  5,000  cards. 

The  labor  of  filing  the  cards  in  this  union  catalog  costs 
between  five  and  six  hundred  dollars  a  year,  or  about  one 
per  cent,  of  our  total  library  income.  Most  of  the  work  is 
done  by  student  assistants  at  fifteen  cents  per  hour,  al- 
though much  of  the  revision  is  done  by  a  regular  member  of 
the  catalog  division.  The  total  present  equipment  for  hous- 
ing this  union  catalog  consists  of  thirteen  cabinets  with  a 
total  of  seven  hundred  and  eighty  trays.  We  expect  to  add 
about  sixty  trays  a  year. 

The  old  public  catalog  of  the  library  was  made  on  a  card 
wider  than  the  standard  card  but  not  so  high  and  the 
catalog  was  in  three  parts — author  title,  subject,  and  medical 
catalogs.  One  of  the  early  tasks  of  the  present  administra- 
tion was  the  combining  of  these  three  catalogs  in  one  dic- 
tionary catalog.  In  1904  the  international  standard  size: 
catalog  card  was  adopted  for  use  in  the  University  Library. 
The  new  catalog  then  started  now  contains  about  500,000 
cards,  and  we  have  over  60,000  printed  cards  ready  to  add 
to  it  as  soon  as  our  assistants  can  find  time  to  undertake  the 
necessary  typewriting  and  revision. 

In  191 1  the  author  cards  from  the  old  public  catalog  were 
incorporated  in  the  new  catalog.  This  meant  that  nearly 
10,000  cards  must  be  sorted  out  and  withdrawn  from  the  old 
catalog.     The  cutting  and  punching  sometimes  necessitated 

12 


a  partial  re-writing  of  the  card.  The  work  of  cutting, 
punching  and  filing  cost  between  $150  and  $200. 

The  card  index  of  experiment  station  literature,  issued  by 
the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  has  been  housed  in  the 
old  catalog  case  in  the  east  hall.  Subject  references  to  this 
catalog  have  been  inserted  in  the  public  catalog. 

A  large  number  of  cards  for  books  in  the  Law  library 
have  been  filed  in  the  public  catalog. 

In  addition  to  the  public  catalog  the  Library  maintains 
the  following : 

The  Official  catalog — an  author  list  of  all  books  in  the  library: 

The  Reference  catalog. 

The  Seminary  catalog. 

The  Medical  catalog. 

The  Zoology  laboratory  catalog.  J       ...    ,     ,•     . 

The  Biological  station  catalog.  f       £nf£U?r , 

The  Botany  laboratory  catalog.  ^U°na ry 

asraasrsff*     >  gas? 

lit  sSE^Was!?*     (  ?  P-. 

The  Psychopathic  hospital  catalog. 
The  Astronomical  observatory  catalog. 
The  Gynecological  staff  room  catalog. 
The  Dental  library  catalog. 

The  Engineering  library,  Chemical  library  and  Astrono- 
mical Observatory  have  also  duplicate  shelf  lists. 

The  shelf  list,  formerly  kept  on  thin  strips  of  paper  and 
housed  in  old  miscellaneous  paste-board  boxes  (made  for 
men's  furnishings  but  hardly  suited  for  the  purposes  of  a 
card  file)  was  transferred  to  standard  size  cards  and  accom- 
modated in  two  metallic  cabinets,  housed  in  special  safes. 
This  shelf-list  corresponds  to  an  inventory  and  would  be  in- 
valuable in  adjusting  insurance  in  case  of  loss  of  books  by 
fire.  It  is  now  being  checked  up  with  the  books  on  the 
shelves. 

The  Concilium  Bibliographicum  catalog  of  zoology,  com- 
parative anatomy,  etc.,  taken  over  from  the  Zoological  lab- 
oratory, where  a  large  part  of  it  had  for  years  been  stored 
in  bushel  baskets,  is  now  arranged  in  card  cabinets  and  is 
kept  up-to-date.  Subject  references  similar  to  those  made 
to  the  Index  of  experiment  station  literature  have  been 
started.  This  same  work  has  been  started  for  the  Catalogue 
of  the  U.  S.  Surgeon  General's  office. 

n 


-Trained  catalogers  are  employed  for  the  actual  cataloging 
of  the  books.  Student  assistants,  however,  are  given  all  of 
the  mechanical  work — such  as  pasting  on  labels  and  copying 
call  numbers  on  the  labels.  They  are  also  able  to  do  much 
of  the  preliminary  work,  where  the  work  of  the  catalogers 
acts  as  a  check  on  that  of  the  student  assistants.  Student 
assistants  also  do  all  of  the  preliminary  alphabeting  of  cards 
for  the  catalogs  and  frequently  insert  cards  for  the  revision 
of  a  regular  member  of  the  staff. 

The  cataloging  in  a  university  library  is  of  a  very 
different  type  from  that  in  the  average  public  library.  The 
large  number  of  technical  books,  and  books  in  foreign  lang- 
uages, adds  greatly  to  the  difficulties  of  cataloging,  and  in- 
creases the  cost  of  cataloging  per  volume.  The  foreign 
theses  now  received  by  the  library  require  a  great  amount  of 
time  and  study  on  the  part  of  the  catalogers.  The  estab- 
lishment of  the  course  in  Russian  brought  to  the  library  what 
seemed  an  avalanche  of  Russian  bocks.  With  these  the  in- 
creased amount  of  time  is  not  limited  to  the  cataloger,  as 
the  student  assistant  who  copies  the  cards  finds  the  unusual 
combinations  of  letters  very  confusing. 

As  the  number  of  volumes  passing  through  the  catalog 
division  increases,  there  arises  an  increased  need  of  full  and 
accurate  working  records.  These  require  time,  but  are  im- 
portant in  avoiding  duplication  of  books  and  of  labor. 

There  are  added  to  the  library  catalogs,  annually  from 
75,000  to  100,000  cards.  The  total  number  of  volumes 
cataloged  from  July  1,  1910  to  June  30,  191 1,  was  26,703; 
from  July  1,  191 1  to  June  30,  1912,  32,211. 


GROWTH  OF  THE  LIBRARY 

Prior  to  1905  no  book-plates  were  put  in  any  books  ex- 
cept gifts.  In  that  year  a  bock-plate  designed  by  J.  W. 
Spenceley  was  secured  and  inserted  in  the  200,000  volumes 
at  that  time  in  the  Library.  Since  then  it  has  been  placed 
in  all  new  accessions.  Each  volume  in  the  Library  has. 
within  the  last  few  years  been  marked  in  two  places  with  a 
perforating  stamp  reading,  "U.  of  M." 

During  the  last  eight  years  the  natural  growth  of  the 

M 


Library  has  been  stimulated  in  several  ways.  Two 
thousand  volumes  of  bound  periodicals  were  added  to  the 
medical  library  as  a  result  of  our  campaign  of  exchanges, 
advertisement  of  wants  and  correspondence.  From  the  Sur- 
geon General's  Library  one  of  our  assistants  was  able  to 
procure  1811  numbers  of  medical  periodicals  needed  for  our 
files.  Sixty-five  galleys  of  wants  and  duplicates  were  printed 
to  send  out  to  other  libraries  with  a  view  to  completing  our 
files  and  exchanging  duplicates.  We  secured  in  this  way 
about  20,000  items.  From  the  Library  of  Congress  alone 
3466  items  were  received. 

Letters  were  sent  to  every  American  college  and  univer- 
sity of  any  note  stating  just  what  we  lacked  of  their  official 
publications.  In  some  cases  this  correspondence  has  meant 
writing  a  score  of  letters  before  we  were  able  to  complete 
a  desired  series.  Recently  750  letters  were  sent  to  the  older 
members  of  various  college  and  university  faculties  and 
thereby  we  have  secured  several  hundred  college  catalogs 
and  bulletins  toward  completing  our  files.  Letters  were  also 
sent  to  every  learned  society  in  America  stating  just  what 
ones  of  their  publications  we  lacked  and  asking  to  be  favored 
with  the  missing  items.  This  meant  624  individual  (not 
form)  letters.  In  addition  there  were  122  letters  sent  to 
the  learned  societies  of  Europe.  Over  100  letters  have  been 
written  to  European  universities  stating  what  publications 
had  been  sent  them  from  our  University  and  requesting 
certain  specific  items  in  return.  Numerous  gifts  have  been 
solicited  and  secured  from  individuals.  The  total  number 
of  gifts  accessioned  during  the  last  five  years  has  been 
18,883,  while  6651  volumes  received  on  exchange  account 
have  been  accessioned. 

The  work  of  exchanges  of  university  publications  with 
those  of  other  institutions  has  been  put  on  a  proper  basis. 
A  total  of  22,300  items  have  been  sent  to  other  libraries  as 
regular  exchanges.  This  number  includes  material  solicited 
from  individuals  and  from  the  faculty.  The  library  has 
become  the  exchange  bureau  for  the  Michigan  Academy  of 
Science,  Michigan  Political  Science  Association,  Michigan 
Geological  Survey  (foreign  countries  only),  Michigan 
Schoolmasters'  Club  and  for  all  publications  of  the  Univer- 
sity. 


The  library  has  increased  from  182,680  to  305,684  vol- 
umes,— a  growth  of  123,004  volumes  in  eight  years. 

The  following  statistical  table  shows  the  annual  growth 
of  the  library  since  1871  : 


NO.  OF 

DATK 

VOLUMES 

ANNUAL 

IN  LIBRARY 

GROWTH 

1865 

13,551 

I87I 

I9,8o6 

1872 

20,689 

8S3 

1873 

21,519 

830 

1874 

22,211 

692 

1875 

22,820 

609 

1876 

23,441 

621 

1877 

24,108 

667 

1878 

25,699 

i,59i 

July  1879 

27,463 

1,764 

June  1880 

29,345 

1,882 

"   1881 

31,203 

1,858 

"   1882 

33,933 

2,700 

"   1883 

38,262 

4,359 

Sept.  1884 

44,880 

6,618 

"      1885 

56,349 

11,469* 

"   1886 

6c,  201 

3,852 

"   1887 

62,398 

2,197 

"   1888 

67,759 

5,36i 

"   18S9 

70,041 

2  282 

"   1890 

74,599 

4^558 

"   1891 

77,705 

3,106 

"   1892 

82,34/ 

4,642 

"   1893 

85,781 

3,434 

1894 

92,228 

6,447 

"   1895 

98,707 

6,479 

"   1896 

105,047 

6,340 

June  1897 

113.990 

8,943 

"   1898 

122,962 

8,972 

"   1899 

133,206 

io,244f 

"   1900 

145,460 

12,254! 

"   1901 

155,524 

10,064 

"   1902 

165,000 

9,476 

"   1933 

174,740 

9,740 

1904 

182,680 

7,940 

1905 

194,672 

11,992 

1906 

206,568 

11,896 

1907 

222,609 

16,041 

"   1908 

241,128 

18,519 

"   1909 

258,633 

17,505 

"   1910 

270,998 

12,365 

"   191 1 

288,358 

i7,36o 

"   1912 

305,684 

17,326 

*  Special  increase  due  to  gift  of  Shakespeare  library, 
f  Special  increase  due  to  Hench  and  Walter  bequests. 

16 


STATISTICS  OF  READING  ROOM  AND  HOME 
CIRCULATION. 


-0  E 

OB 

1> 

E 

0 
X 

"3 

E 
0 
X 

"c 
-0 

3 

_ 

9 

5 

8 

>« 

OS 

h. 

c/5 

H 

-5 

a 

1887-8 

91712 

2456 

94,l68 

1889 

92628 

2448 

95,078 

9l6 

1890 

126960 

4914 

131,874 

36796 

I89I 

125830 

3IOO 

128,930 

2944 

1892 

135807 

3650 

139,457 

10527 

1893 

131 135 

480O 

135,935 

3522 

1894 

120420 

5400 

125,820 

-10115 

1895 

122352 

6469 

128,821 

3001 

1896  Sepl 

:.  126901 

6614 

135,515 

4694 

1897  June  128398 

70O0 

135,398 

1883 

1898 

134667 

7500 

142,167 

6769 

1899 

137365 

82O0 

145,565 

3388 

1900 

144456 

85OO 

152,956 

7391 

1901 

144602 

8591 

153,193 

237 

1902 

158036 

9913 

167,949 

14756 

1903 

I573/I 

1 1232 

168,603 

654 

1904 

T78330 

1 1 299 

189,629 

21026 

1905 

102991 

12354 

H5,345 

74284 

1906 

91706 

12959 

4636 

109,301 

6044 

1907 

1 12967 

16824 

12508 

142,299 

32998 

1908 

140400 

16772 

1 504 1 

172,213 

29914 

1909 

156847 

I697I 

1 5 143 

188,961 

16788 

1910 

1 7 1358 

I73I2 

15320 

203,990 

14929 

191 1 

173583 

I69II 

15648 

206, 1 42 

2152 

1912 

178879 

16833 

1 7641 

213,353 

721 1 

The  large  decrease  in  the  use  of  the  Library  as  recorded 
at  the  delivery  desk  in  1904-05  was  due  to  the  establishment 
of  the  reference  collection  on  open  shelves  in  the  reading 
room.  By  putting  the  most  commonly  called  for  reference 
books  where  the  students  could  get  them  without  asking  for 
them  at  the  desk,  the  number  of  books  handed  out  over  the 
reading  room  desk  was  in  that  year  decreased  by  75,339,  or 
42  per  cent.  As  this  innovation  was  introduced  in  the 
middle  of  the  year,  the  next  year  showed  a  still  further  de- 
crease in  the  number  of  books  handed  out  over  the  desk. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  what  the  unrecorded  use  of  books 
was  much  larger  than  it  ever  had  been  before  since  despite 
this  free  access  to  8,000  volumes  in  the  lower  reading  room 
and  later  to  12,000  volumes  in  the  upper  reading  room,  the 
recorded  use  of  books  asked   for  at  the  .desk    (i.  e.  books 


drawn  from  the  stack  for  use  in  the  reading  room),  has 
been  constantly  increasing  so  that  during  the  last  year  it 
exceeded  the  total  number  of  books  handed  out  in  1903-04,. 
the  last  full  year  before  the  installation  of  open  shelves  for 
reference  books. 

The  constant  increase,  in  the  home  use  of  books  by  stu- 
dents is  gratifying  as  showing  that  students  are  making  a 
larger  use  of  their  opportunities.  Last  year  2,000  more 
bocks  were  borrowed  by  students  for  home  use  than  in  any 
previous  year.  For  overnight  use  students  drew  8170 
volumes  during  the  academic  year.  The  averagb  Klaily 
Reading  Room  circulation  was  532. 

The  practice  has  been  instituted  of  taking  the  freshman 
class  through  the  Library  in  sections  of  about  twenty.  The 
general  features  of  the  Reading  Room-  and  the  reference 
collection,  the  periodical  room  and  the  various  catalogs  are 
explained  to  them.  This  means  the  holding  of  at  least  35 
one  hour  sessions.  For  the  last  four  summers  an  eight 
weeks'  course  in  library  methods  has  been  given  as  a  part  of 
the  Summer  Session.     ■ 


DEPARTMENTAL  LIBRARIES 

The  statistics  given  above  relate  to  the  use  made  of  the 
General  Library  only.  The  use  made  of  the  departmental 
libraries  is  of  a  different  kind  and  so  can  not  be  expressed  in 
the  same  tabular  fashion.  These  departmental  libraries  are 
primarily  for  reference  use  by  the  faculty  and  students  of 
the  departments.  Five  of  these  have  been  established  within 
the  past  eight  years. 

A  departmental  library  was  established  in  the  new  En- 
gineering building  in  1904,  with  a  trained  assistant  in  charge. 
Architectural  collections  have  been  made  and  cataloged  and 
a  cabinet  of  photographs  secured.  Work  has  begun  on  the 
arrangement  and  cataloging  of  the  collections  of  trade 
catalogs. 

The  Russell  library  of  geology  was  received  in  1906,  and 
has  been  accessioned  and  cataloged. 

The  Dental  library  (formerly  the  poorest  apology  for  an 
organized    library    on    the   campus)    has    been    entirely    re- 

18 


organized,  classified  and  cataloged.  Innumerable  gaps  in 
the  files  of  periodicals  have  been  filled  and  sets  bound  up. 
The  books  have  been  classified  for  the  first  time.  Additions 
from  the  library  of  the  late  Dr.  Miller  have  also  been  taken 
care  of. 

The  departmental  library  of  chemistry  was  established 
in  1910.  Eight  thousand  volumes  of  chemical  literature 
have  been  recataloged,  many'  needing  remarking  and  re- 
classifying. A  duplicate  catalog  of  all  chemical  literature 
in  the  Library  has  been  made  for  the  Chemical  Building. 

The  library  of  the  Department  of  Education  has  been 
accessioned  and  cataloged. 

Other  departmental  libraries  are  under  the  general  super- 
vision of  the  University  Library,  and  all  of  rhe  technical 
work  on  them — such  as  accessioning,  cataloging,  etc. — is 
done  in  the  General  Library,  though  the  books  themselves 
are  placed  in  charge  of  a  departmental  assistant.  Much 
recataloging  has  been  done  in  these  libraries. 


LJL 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LI1                               iBRAKX 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

AUG  1 4=  1963 

SEP  "  7  KM 

t  r»  01    rnmiov,i                                    General  Library 
(C47962o)476                                UniverS^feglif°rnia 

I 

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